How To Wear Your Hair Natural for Graduation

Posted on 17 May 2017

The glory that is black girl magic is peeking out from behind Ivy covered walls, stomping through the courtyards of historically black college campuses, and taking a strong stance on serious issues. It’s also getting ready to slip on caps and gowns. But as easy as it is to walk single file across that stage to finally collect what’s yours on graduation day it’s not as easy to fit your curls under that cardboard contraption.

But that doesn’t mean you have to cast aside your personal style to be considered suitable for this special occasion. We’ve got a few suggestions for working with your mortarboard instead of against it.

First consider working with the current trend of half up/ half down styles. Celebrities like Issa Rae, and Anika Noni Rose have embraced this look for personal appearances, premieres, and award shows. This style will allow you to slip the cap over the top of your head while allowing the back and sides of your hair to spring free.

This style also works really well with locks (authentic or faux). So feel free to get a protective style for your #gradcation before the big day.

You can also pull your hair to the side and let a voluminous ponytail flow over one side of your robes. Or even slip charms or ribbons into an oversized braid or some Zoe Twists so that they can catch the camera flashes as you have your moment. Check out how Mini Marley pulled this off the perfect side pony here.

Plan on sticking with your fail-proof twist-out routine? Twist the sides towards each side of your head and have them meet with bobby pins to accommodate the mortarboard without crushing it.

Looking to show up and show all the way out? Stand out by boldly puffing up your ful fledged fro for all to see and simply pinning the mortarboard to the top of it. The trick to making this option work? Choose straight pins instead of the traditional bobby pins so they will reach all the way into the middle of your fro. Just make sure to remove them and reshape it with a comb before it’s time to pose for pictures.

The number one accessory that you’re going to need is confidence. Since we were little girls we’ve been taught that special occasions require press and curls but what we really need to feel special is self-love.

Congrats to the class of 2017. May your curls shine as brightly as your futures!